On social media, several well-known people have spoken out about the war between Israel and Hamas. In recent years, you increasingly see this group speaking out on major, societal issues. Dr Simone Driessen of ESHCC tells EenVandaag why we increasingly expect these opinions from our idols and what the possible consequences could be.
Expectation pattern
Activism among famous people is not a new concept; Bob Dylan and Boudewijn de Groot sang of their aversion towards the Cold War as early as the 1960s. In recent years, a new influential group has joined the ranks of celebrities: the influencer. As such, one sees that in lately this "online" group has also increasingly been sharing clear opinions on complex, societal issues. Including now, on the war between Israel and Hamas. There is therefore a certain pattern of expectation, says assistant professor of Media & Popular Culture Simone Driessen.
"If a celebrity normally does speak out and now remains silent, fans do ask questions about it. This is particularly prevalent among younger generations. They seem to be more aware of activism around the world."
The flipside
However, Simone also argues that sharing an opinion can have a flipside when it does not match fans' personal opinions. She gives Taylor Swift as an example. Several years ago, the famous singer spoke out in favour of a more left-wing, progressive view, which did not resonate with many of her conservative fans. Fans boycotted their idol and CDs of Swift were even destroyed, Driessen recalls.
"It will have made a small impact on such a great idol, but you will have lost those fans anyway. And fans are your source of income after all."
It is also suggested that there is an overall feeling that we, the public, have made these celebrities famous and therefore something is now expected in return. There is, thus, an assumption that they have a social responsibility to share their views. Unfortunately, this group is then also denied the right of not knowing something.
Value of the message
The impact that speaking out about something as a well-known person actually has, is something we cannot ignore. Be it war, racism or climate. Especially in the international environment, this impact is well visible. Not only is information more widely spread about certain topics, but in some cases it can even lead to an actual occurrence in politics. While this group can help in comprehensibly articulating opinions on sensitive situations, it is still important to look critically at the source. For instance, it is important to remember that misinformation is also shared by well-known people. The consequences that may be attached to this may not affect themselves, but can possibly hurt the victims of a disaster.
- PhD student
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The whole article on EenVandaag (only in Dutch) can be read here.
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